An odd summer
by angel-chobit
Summary: This is my first fanfic... a nice little romance for most ages, some mature content in later chapters. Please R&R, it'll really help with future writing. Second chapter is up! :D
1. Chapter 1

Ok guys, this is my first fanfic, so please go easy on the flames…………(if you're going to flame me, at least make it constructive)

(For the sake of this story, logic has been put aside, and Rock Lees' leg and arm are magically all better)

Disclaimer: I own no one

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

It was a very odd way to start out the summer, but Tsundae had decided that they would try this _alternate_ type of training. There were to be two camps, one for all the young female ninjas, and one for all the young male ninjas in the leaf country. Life would go on as per normal, accept contact with the opposite gender was forbidden. The idea was that this prolonged separation would create a better respect for each gender.

May 3: During the counsellor meeting 

Tsundae: Ok, now all we have to do, is split up all the different teachers into the different categories……….

Gai: I WILL TEACH THEM TO BE **CHARMING** WHILE KICKING BUTT! (Ridiculous thumb up pose)

Kakashi: Just what we need, **more** mini Gais loose in this world………. On is enough for me.

Gai: What was that?

Kakashi: Nothing, I was just thinking out loud

Gai: I heard you say my name!

(Arguing in the background)

Tsundae: _This is going to be a long meeting_………………..sigh

_May 7: First day of pitching camp (girls)_

Ino and Sakura just glared at each other, how they had ended up being tent buddies, no one will ever know. They both hated the idea of being forced apart form their precious Sasuke. Then it dawned on Ino; Sasuke was the reason they had broken their friendship, and now that he was off some were out in the wild blue yonder, they really had no reason to fight. Ino suggested this to Sakura, and her angry face melted away, leaving a stunned, blinking one.

Sakura: You're actually right; this means that we have nothing to compete over for the next two and a half MONTHS!

The idea that they could be best friends again just because their crush wasn't there was absurd, but it made perfect sense to both of them. Big smiles spread across their faces and they embraced like they did when they had been six years old.

Sakura: One rule, we aren't allowed to claim Sasuke, we can talk about why we like him and so fourth, but no fighting!

Ino: Agreed!

Every one who saw this was utterly confused, _how do you just "become best friends again?"_ they all wondered.

Tenten was pitching her tent right next to Sakura and Ino, listening intently.

Hinata: Tenten? Are you even listening to me?

Tenten: huh? Oh! I'm so sorry, what did you just say?

Hinata: Why are you spying on those two? You're making it pretty obvious.

Tenten: sigh promise you won't tell anyone?

Hinata: Promise

Tenten: Well, you know my group member Rock Lee? Well, he's asked me to spy on Sakura, to see what she likes, what her interests are. He really likes her, but like all the other girls in this village, she's stuck on Sasuke. I really want to give him the chance to show Sakura that he can be just as good as that little emo!

Tenten was fuming at that point, Lee was like a brother to her, and she couldn't help but be angry with Sakura for not giving him a chance. Sure he was the Prince of cheese (the king being Gai-Sensei) but he had a heart of pure gold, full of admiration for her. In Tentens' opinion, she didn't deserve him.

Hinata: Hmm…

She wasn't listening as hard as she could have, but more wondering at that moment how Naruto was doing. Who is his tent buddy? Where is the boys' camp? Would he ever like her?

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Naruto cringed when he hear that his tent buddy was to be **"eyebrows." ** Sasuke wasn't to excited when he heard that his own was Akimichi Choji.

Sasuke: _Great, we're going to need a FOUR-man tent just to fit him. I can't believe they expect me to sleep with this guy for 2 MONTHS!_

Neji: _How fortunate I am. At least the people who are left are people I won't want to kill by the end of this absurd training._

Ibiki: Hyuga Neji and Nara Shikimaru

Neji/Shikimaru:_ Him…interesting…he'd better not snore._

Lee strode up to Naruto and suggested that they get going on the tent. Naruto hated the idea that he had to share his tent with this guy. For one, Lee was annoying, and another; he too had a HUGE crush on Sakura. Naruto pulled their tent out of the bag close to were Sasuke was setting up his (Sasukes' partner was just sitting there eating).

Naruto: _At least I can be close to my friend_

Lee: Hey Neji, come set up over here!

Lee was waving to his teammate, Naruto just snorted at the thought. Neji, although he thought Lee was a bit loud, decided that staying near someone he knew well could prove to be an advantage.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Dusk set upon the two peaceful camps, feeling isolated and slightly alone after having all their teams split up. All each side knew, was that the other gender was off somewhere in the wild blue yonder, although the camps were only about a mile apart.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sakura woke with a start, it was too early to be up; the sun hadn't even started to rise. She decided to go for a walk, and try to settle down again. As she strode through the star lit forest, her thoughts wandered back to earlier that evening.

Flash Back 

During dinner, Mitarashi Anko had suggested that all the girls get into groups, and try to get to know one another. Everyone thought it would be a fun idea, and got into groups of four. Seeing as Hinata and Tenten were in the closest tent, Sakura had asked them if they'd form a group with herself and Ino. So the girls huddled into one tent, and decided to play a game.

Ino: It's kind of like truth of dare, but seeing as we're supposed to be gathering information on each other, we're going to change the rules a little. We'll draw straws to see who gets to ask the first question, and it can be ANY question. If that person doesn't want to answer it, then they have to run around the camp crowing and flapping like a rooster!

Hinata looked down, he didn't like to talk about herself, but the other option was bleak. They drew straws, and Sakura was the first to ask. Her eyes narrowed, and she looked straight at Hinata, there was something she HAD to know.

Sakura: Hinata…

Hinata cringed as her name was said.

Sakura: Do you like anyone… as MORE than just a friend?

She tried to avoid naming his name, but Sakura was thinking one REALLY hard.

Hinata: nodding yes… I… I like… umm…_say it! Just say it, you'll feel so much better if you do! _………Naruto.

All the other girls giggled, and Hinata blushed. It was odd, but a weight seemed to lift from her chest as she said her crushes name.

Hinata: All right, now it's my turn, Tenten…

End of flashback 

It was funny, just after that game, the four of them were thick as thieves. Even Hinata was opening up and showing more life. It was strange to think that in so little time, Ino would befriend her again, like nothing had ever happened, even with the deal.

Sakura looked around and didn't recognize her surroundings at all. Her dreamlike state and random walking had brought her farther away form the camp than she was supposed to be, and up until now, she hadn't noticed the clouds gathering in the sky, covering the stars. There was no light, and Sakura could barely see a foot in front of her face.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Smack A hand landed quite roughly on Lee's face, with a groan, he looked over to see Naruto, yipping and twitching in his sleep. Kyuubi was dreaming. He pushed the hand off of him and tried to go back to sleep, but the light woofing and scratching was pissing the heck out of him.

Lee: _I'll just go to the bathroom quickly and by then he should stop._

Silently he crept out of his sleeping bag, and left the tent. On his way out of the clearing, he ran across another dreaming boy, acting in the same manner as Naruto, but somehow he'd gotten out of his tent. He recognized him as the boy with the little white puppy, and shaking his head, stepped over Kiba.

Kiba: Mrff…. rrrrrrrrr…I'll get you next time…damn squirrel………

Lee: _The people of this village are beyond me…_

With that, Lee strode off into the bushes to relive himself.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

If only she hadn't gotten turned around, if only she hadn't sat down and let the damp darkness get to her. If only that darn rabbit hadn't jumped out of the bushes and scared the living daylights out of her, Sakura wouldn't be running as fast as she could in some unknown direction. Tears streaming down her face, bushes scratching and grasping her legs, she stormed on in a fearful frenzy. (Normally Sakura wouldn't act like this, but for the sake of the story, she is)

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Reliving………..3

Buttoning fly…………..2

Turning back to camp………….1

0……….**Smack! Crash! Oof! Ow! SCREAM! **Silence…………..

Sakura had landed on top of Lee, and thinking that he'd been ambushed flipped them over, and covered her mouth to stop the noise. Emerald eyes stared into black eyes, shadowed by monstrous dark brows. Instantly recognizing her, Lee got off, and pulled Sakura up into a sitting position.

Lee: Sakura-chan, what are you doing here?

Half confused, but half excited to be alone with his sweet heart, he started pulling twigs and leaves out of her hair. Sakura was so stunned she couldn't move.

Sakura: Thing…jumped…I…. ran…(finally recognising Lee) OMG! LEE!

Sakura pressed herself firmly into Lee's chest.

Sakura: _He's my friend, he can protect me…_

_Lee's mind:_

I wrapped my arms around the quivering pink haired girl, laying my cheek down on her head. She smelled so sweet, just like a sakura blossom, so I pulled her closer, wanting more of her, wanting to protect her from whatever she was afraid of. Her heart drummed fast against my chest, I wondered if she could feel my own. My love had so freely thrown her self into me; I must make her feel safe.

_Sakura's mind:_

He didn't hesitate, he didn't complain, he just held me. I felt so safe there, and then I wondered if Sasuke would do this for me. No, he'd tell me to suck it up, that I'm a ninja, and ninjas aren't afraid of the dark. Lee pulls me closer, and I wondered what he's thinking. I sense is Chakra waking up, as if he's expecting something else to pop out of the bushes. I realize that he would fight for me, just as he did at the Chunin exam, even if it meant getting hurt.

Sakura had calmed down now, and was relaxing in her friends' arms. Neither knew how long it had been, neither knew what time it was. Slowly, Sakura pulled away from Lee and looked into his eyes.

Sakura: Thank you… thank you so much. You're a great guy, and Tenten is lucky to have you on her team.

Lee: It's nothing, really. I'm just always looking out for my friends. _Especially those who are precious to me_.

_Lee's mind:_

OMG! I MUST BE THE LUCKIEST GUY ON THE PLANET! I JUST HELD SAKURA-CHAN IN MY ARMS FOR LIKE HALF AN HOUR!

Uh oh, the sun is rising, we'd better start heading back before either of us are missed.


	2. the master plan

WOOOOOOOT, next chapter is up :)

Lee: Are you going to be able to get back to your own camp?

Sakura: Yes, I left a trail obvious enough for a child to follow.

They laughed and stood up, brushing the debris off their clothes. Suddenly, like a bolt of lightning an idea hit Sakura out of no were. Sakura giggled at the thought, and a mock evil smile spread across her face. A meeting at this spot, with an evil background plot…

Sakura: You know what would be really cool? If you got a bunch of your friends together, and I got some of mine, and we all came here and hung out!

Lee: But that would be against the rules! We couldn't do that!

Sakura: You're missing the point, one of my friends really likes Naruto, and, with the aid of ourselves, we can get them together!

Lee paused and thought about this, _If I go thought with this, I would be breaking the rules, and that would make Gai Sensei mad, on the other hand, if Naruto and this other girl started going out, there would be less competition, Sakura could be MINE!_

Lee: All right, I'll try to convince a group of guys to come and meet here with your posy. Is tonight a good time?

Sakura: That's PERFECT! Ok, my friends name is Hinata, try to talk to Naruto about her, see if you can get him to at least think about her.

Lee: That should be easy enough.

Sakura squealed with delight and hugged Lee (causing a faint blush to rise on his cheeks) and dashed off back to her own camp before anyone would miss her. Lee, leaving in the opposite direction, fantasizing about the number of ways he could win his love's heart.

Ino: OHMYGAWD IT'S PERFECT!

Both girls shared mischievous looks as they sought out Tenten to explain "the master plan." Basically it was get Hinata and Naruto to spend as much time with each other as possible, and maybe work some magic on her looks on the side. After they informed Tenten of "the master plan," the girls found Hinata, and invited her on their little get together excursion with the boys.

Hinata: You'll be breaking the rules though.

Sakura: We know that silly, but that's half the fun!

Tenten: Besides, I heard that Naruto would be there!

Ino: And even if he weren't, it would still be a fun outing.

Hinata looked down into the grass, she really wanted to see Naruto, but that would be breaking the rules. What if they got caught? Would their rights as ninjas be taken away. _Hey wait a second, if that happened, and I wasn't there, all of my friends would be taken away from me, and I would be alone. Hmm… I'd rather go down with my friends, than watch them go down from the sidelines._

Hinata: All right, I'll come with you. Umm… are we supposed to dress up or something?

The other girls laughed.

Sakura: wink only if your trying to seduce someone. First of all, take off your parka, how is Naruto going to be able to see you beautiful body if you're not showing it off.

Hinata slowly undid the zipper of her parka, and let it slide down her arms. She was wearing a tight, black, v-neck, long sleeved shirt. It would have looked quite plain on anyone else, but it accented her delicate skin and raven hair. The other girls were shocked, no one had ever seen Hinata with out her parka on, and what lay underneath would make any woman jealous. Her slender thighs were attached to perfectly rounded hips, which tapered up into a slender waist. Her shoulders sloped perfectly down to toned but slender arms. Collarbones framed her neck, and below that was a small, but proportionate chest.

Ino: And when were you planning on unleashing this WMD!

Hinata?

Sakura: You're drop dead sexy! Any guy that sees you would want you!

Tenten: You don't need our help sister, the moment any guys sees you, TORRENTS of blood with run from his nose.

Ino: It's true, but I still want to do one more thing!

The blonde dragged her off to her tent.

Ino: your hair is wonderful; I don't see why you use so many products in it!

Ino combed the hair spray out of the black locks, and let the natural body take control. It hung loose over her head, and flipped outwards at the bottom, instead of sticking out the back like a bird's crest. Once again, Hinata was dragged off in another direction, to find herself in a field of wild flowers. Ino picked a large blue one, pulled a pin out of her bun, and pinned the flower in Hinatas' hair.

Sakura: Wow! That makes your eyes look five times more noticeable.

Tenten: I will eat my shirt if Naruto doesn't like you by the end of the night

Sasuke: That is the most IDIOTIC plan I've ever heard!

Lee wined, but was determined to get a group of guys and follow through with "the master plan." _This will require some deep thought._ Lee pondered a bit, and then had an idea.

Lee: Naruto would be less of a pain.

Sasuke looked at Lee.

Sasuke: How so?

Lee: He would be less distracted by Sakura, and wouldn't screw up as much with his ridiculous plans of trying to win her heart.

The thought of his attempts made Sasuke wince. They'd gotten to the point were Naruto was sabotaging the activities, making training extremely difficult.

Sasuke: Fine, just don't expect me to invite the fat one to this little party. He chews like a friggin' cow, and snores like a volcano. I need a break from his antics, fast.

Lee: Ok, we just need a few more people to come, how about Neji and Shikimaru?

Sasuke: I don't care; I'm just doing this for my benefit.

Lee wandered over to the other boys tent and persuaded them to come, Neji by tempting him with the thoughts of seeing their friend Tenten again, and Shikimaru with being alone with the annoying fat one.

angel-chobit: I'm sorry, this chapert isn't my greatest, but I've been behind with my homework, and swimming had just gotten started. I'm up before the sun rises, and asleep after it sets, so it's quite stressful…….

Lee: WHAT DO YOU MEAN "NOT YOUR GREAEST"? WHEN DO I GET TO MAKE OUT WITH SAKURA!

angel-chobit: Be patient you over eager…….

Naruto: Did someone mention Sakura?

everyone: NO!

Hinata: sigh


End file.
